Choices - A Perfect Pair Prince of Tennis Fanfiction AU

Chapter 1

Summary: Basically an intro to the world and the problems :) Set in Lu Xia's PoV, because why not. Enjoy!

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Lu Xia, despite his bored facade, is not, in fact, bored at all. He's simply quiet and observant, which means he rarely doesn't get the answers he's looking for. 

Right now, currently, he's in a corner of the barracks,  hiding in the shadows. He watches Zhiming stride towards Qiao Chen and Baiyang, who have gotten into another fight, despite being friends (somewhat). Zhiming holds up a glass of (Lu Xia shudders) Yan juice, which they have all come to fear and hate. It's supposed to increase their strength and stamina over time, although Lu Xia rather thinks Zhiming just wants to torture them.

"You-" Qiao Chen's cry fades as Zhiming offers them the glass of murky green liquid. Qiao Chen and Baiyang stop yelling, but continue to glare at each other murderously. 

"Oh, uh, hi A-Yan!" Qiao Chen says feebly. Baiyang punches Qiao Chen in the shoulder, and the latter doubles over in pain.

"You two look thirsty. Perhaps some Yan juice will help?" Zhiming adjusts his glasses, smiling. Qiao Chen and Baiyang both shake their heads in unison, speaking over each other.

"I'm not-"

"Qiao Chen, be quiet-"

"Don't tell me to-"

Zhiming clears his throat, holding up the glass again. Qiao Chen and Baiyang snap to attention immediately, holding themselves ramrod straight. Lu Xia files this away for later- Yan Juice is the perfect threat for anyone, except Zhiming himself and Zhuo Zhi, who seems to be impervious to its disgustingly bitter taste. 

Zhiming walks away, and Qiao Chen is suddenly at his side, arm thrown over Lu Xia's shoulder, who squirms. 

"Xiao Lu Xia!" he bellows, oblivious to Lu Xia's discomfort. Lu Xia groans, halfheartedly pushing at Qiao Chen's bony arm. 

"I'm not 'xiao'," Lu Xia says automatically. "I'm almost a full warrior."

Qiao Chen grins, clapping a hand on Lu Xia's other shoulder. "That's the point. Almost. Which means, xiao Lu Xia, you are still a child. Now, let's go visit Xinglong." He steers Lu Xia towards the kitchens, talking loudly about the temperatures for tomorrow that will make it great for- honestly, Lu Xia doesn't even know anymore, he's accustomed to tuning Qiao Chen out by now. 

Xinglong is hard at work in the kitchens, roasting a few geese in preparation for lunch. He glances up briefly, noticing Qiao Chen and Lu Xia.

"Hello!" Xinglong greets them both cheerfully, wiping his sweaty brow on his arm. "Care for a snack?" Xinglong offers them a plate of roast goose, seemingly pulling it out of nowhere. Qiao Chen fairly leaps for it, and by the time Lu Xia gets up, the former has already scarfed down at least half of the plate's contents. 

Lu Xia tugs on his collar- a nervous habit he'd developed. 

"Aren't we supposed to meet in the war room, like, right now?" 

Qiao Chen startles, a strip of goose hanging from his mouth. "Oh yeah," he garbles through the goose. "Let's go." It sounds more like 'resh goar' with the food in his mouth, but Lu Xia decides not to comment. Xinglong bades them goodbye as they leave, telling them to try to convince Siyang to actually eat for once in a lifetime.

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The war room is silent when they enter, most likely because the only people in it are Siyang, Zhuo Zhi, and Qi Na, the advisor. Lu Xia slides into position as they wait for the rest. One by one they enter, first Jiale with his arm slung around Dayong's shoulder as they chatter. Then comes Qiao Chen, gasping as he runs in, followed closely by Baiyang. Zhiming walks in, taking his position at the far end of the room. 

Siyang stands up, and silence spreads over the room quickly. Lu Xia finds himself instinctively straightening up and paying attention.

"Zhiming, what is the probability for an attack tomorrow?" he says in a commanding voice. 

Zhiming adjusts his glasses. "About 52.8 percent for Guo Zi, 7.5 percent for Yu Feng, 38 percent for Hai Guang, and 43.2 percent for Xing Yao," he rattles off. Right. There are a total of five major kingdoms in the realm, which are Hai Guang, led by the famously kind Bai Shiting; Yu Feng, which has only recently been declared a major kingdom and whose monarch is Xu Ziping; Xing Yao, ruled by the fearsome Ji Jingwu, and Guo Zi, lorded by Guan Yue. And their own kingdom, Yu Qing, led by Mu Siyang. Of course, there are other kingdoms in the realm- such as Ying Cai or Yu Hang, but they're not as well known or large.

"Thank you, A-Yan," Siyang says, looking at his papers. 

Dayong looks worried. "How are we antagonizing Guo Zi? 52.8 percent is pretty high."

"I have a few ideas. I'll have to run a couple more calculations until I'm certain," Zhiming replies. 

Siyang sighs. "Okay. Dachi, double the amount of archers at the top and tell them to stay alert. Zhiming, if you wouldn't mind making more healing elixirs?"

Zhiming grins a little manically, adjusting his glasses. "Of course." Lu Xia fights the instinct to flinch at the memory of the time when Zhiming had force-fed him a healing elixir because of his broken arm. He mentally swears not to get injured, so he won't have to drink an elixir, which is ten times more bitter than Yan juice. 

"Meeting concluded. You are dismissed," Siyang says, sitting back down. Lu Xia speed-walks out, avoiding Zhiming's gaze. 

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And that's that! This got re-written completely, then almost entirely re-written for the second time due to a malfunctioning delete key. Also, I forgot to mention, but I'll be using '---' for the divider between author's note and the writing. So, I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to leave compliments (very much appreciated) or constructive criticism! Here's a sample of the first version, originally in Zhuo Zhi's perspective before settling on our Lu Xia:

Zhuo Zhi walks down the hall, accompanied by a chattering Jiale.

"And then-"

"Jiale," Zhuo Zhi interrupts politely enough, "we are about to enter the King's Chamber. At the volume you're talking, I'm sure even Xing Yao can hear you." 

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